Kia Sonet vs Venue vs Brezza vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Ecosport – Specifications Comparison

Kia has unveiled the much-awaited Sonet in India and is all set to launch the new sub-4m SUV in September 2020. Be it the first subcompact SUV from Kia, the upcoming Kia Sonet will come off as a decent competitor to the likes of Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon and Ford Ecosport, etc. in the hotly-contested sub-four-metre SUV segment. So, let’s look at the Kia Sonet vs Venue vs Brezza vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Ecosport comparison to see where the Kia Sonet stands against its rivals on the specs sheet.

1. Kia Sonet vs Venue vs Brezza vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Ecosport – Petrol Engines Compared

While being developed on the platform of the Hyundai Venue sibling, the Kia Sonet also shares its petrol engines lineup with the Hyundai Venue. Powering both the Sonet and Venue are a 1.2-litre petrol engine that makes 82 PS of power and 115 Nm of peak torque along with a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol mill churning out 118 HP/ 172 Nm of peak torque. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is offered with a 5-speed MT only.

As for the 1.0-litre turbocharged engine, the Hyundai Venue comes with three gearboxes  - 6-speed MT, 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed DCT unit. Whereas, the Kia Sonet Turbo is available with a 6-speed iMT and a 7-step DCT merely. Do note that, the Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue are the only two SUVs that have two petrol engine options on their table.

When talking about the petrol configurations, Ford Ecosport is the most powerful of the lot. The American SUV also employs the biggest engine of the lot with a 1.5-litre Ti-VCT 3-cyl petrol mill that is tuned to develop 121 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 149 Nm delivered at 4,500 rpm. The Ecosport offers a 5-speed MT along with a 6-speed AT as an automatic option. However, it should be noted that while the Ford Ecosport has the highest-in-segment performance figures here, it delivers the lowest fuel efficiency level in the class. The Ecosport’s fuel mileage is rated at 15.9 kmpl (MT) and 14.7 kmpl (AT).

Tata Nexon comes with a 1.2-litre 3-cyl Revotron petrol burner that churns out 118 HP of power and 170 Nm of torque. The 5-star rated SUV can be had with a 6-speed MT and a 6-speed automated manual transmission (AMT).

In the latest avatar, the Maruti Vitara Brezza sources the power from a 104 BHP/ 138 Nm 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine mated to either a 5-speed MT or a 4-speed AT unit. Mahindra XUV300, on the other hand, gets a single 1.2-litre turbo-petrol mill good for 110 BHP/ 200 Nm of torque. It is the only model here to come with a mere 6-speed MT and misses out on an automatic option.

When putting the naturally aspirated engines on the same lot, it is clear that Sonet vs Venue are the least powerful. However, those vehicles turn the table around with the turbocharged models, as against the Mahindra XUV300’s 110 BHP 1.2-litre turbo petrol unit.

Conclusion:

• Highest Power: Ford Ecosport
• Highest Torque: Mahindra XUV300
• Most Fuel-efficient: Maruti Vitara Brezza AT
• Least fuel-efficient: Ford Ecosport AT

2. Kia Sonet vs Venue vs Brezza vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Ecosport – Diesel Engines Compared

While each of the competitors is available with both petrol and diesel engine options, the Maruti Vitara Brezza comes with only a petrol unit. Kia Sonet, again, shares the diesel engines lineup with its cousin – Hyundai Venue, be it a 1.5-litre U2 CRDi unit. While the Venue diesel comes to power 99 BHP of power and 240 Nm of torque, the Kia Sonet’s 1.5-litre diesel mill returns two separate states of tune – 99 BHP/ 240 Nm and 113 BHP/ 250 Nm of peak torque. Transmission choices for the Sonet are a 6-speed MT and a 6-speed AT while the latter is given a miss on the Hyundai Venue.

The fuel mileage of the Sonet diesel is at 24 kmpl (for the manual car) and 19 kmpl (for the automatic variant), which is much higher than each of the models in the comparison. The Venue is hot on its heels with 23.3 kmpl (MT).

The most powerful diesel-powered SUV title belongs to the Mahindra XUV300 this time around. The Mahindra car draws the power from a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine generating 115 BHP/ 300 Nm of torque. Fortunately, Mahindra has now equipped its XUV300 with an automatic variant, in the form of a 6-speed AMT in addition to the standard 6-speed MT unit.

It is again the Venue that is the least powerful diesel car in the comparison but the margin is not too large. In fact, the Hyundai Venue is only 1 BHP less potent than the Mahindra XUV300 model. Do note that the Venue outperforms the XUV300 in terms of fuel economy as the latter returns an ARAI-certified fuel efficiency figure of 20 kmpl.

Conclusion:

• Highest Power: Mahindra XUV300
• Highest Torque: Mahindra XUV300
• Most fuel-efficient: Kia Sonet (MT)
• Least fuel-efficient: Kia Sonet (AT)

Overall, it’s the Kia Sonet that gets one step further compared to its rivals with a 6-speed torque converter automatic option on tap, thus making the Sonet the only SUV to get this feature in the subcompact SUV segment.